Way of Seeing

The Ways of Seeing video speaks of how the reproduction and distribution of paintings has cheapened the experience of viewing them. This is due to the fact that outside factors can play into how one feels when viewing the image. Be it the music they are listening to at the time, or what one previously viewed before looking at the work. In museums the viewing experience is carefully monitored, and how one views the image is relatively uninhibited. This information is important to me as an artist because in creating an image I’d have to take into account the outside factors that may be playing on my audience. Be that music directly opposing the message I’m trying to send, or precognitive notions already held by the viewer.

John Szarkowski's 'The Photographer's Eye

Szarkowski charges that most photographs are less art, than a fleeting desire that even the untrained can capture with a click of a button. At the same time however, he says that photographs have a beauty of their own, which can be expressed no matter how much thought or training when into producing the final image. In spite of a photograph’s seemingly readymade finality, there are problems that one can encounter with them. One of the problems of photography is the subject itself, and the fact that as a natural creation the photographer must take into account how it is best captured. Along with this, photographs make it difficult to pose something as an artist of paint would; there is an amount of detail which is captures within the photo that does not allow for one to cover up mistakes. Be that of the imperfection of the subject itself or that of the artists own making.  Despite these shortcomings, photography is a medium that was created in its final form, it leaves little room for improvement, and unlike most inventions never truly need to be improved upon.

A few pictures of strong